Attitude is Everything

I have been in Tokyo with the Hoopnotica promotional team for the past week. I brought along my kids and my hubby, and have been traveling all over Tokyo doing photoshoots, radio, and television interviews. Let me tell you, there is nothing like hangin out with a group of professional abs- er,  Hoopdancers (!)  to inspire you to hoop more.

Back home in the good old US of A, Hoopnotica has been featured in two noteworthy Mamma blogs. I have read them and felt inspired by their stories- please take a second to check them out! It is so nice to hear other Mammas affirm that our Hoopnotica DVD series is helping to support them in their mission to take back their bodies. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

http://momfinds.com/blog/index.php/weblog/these_hips_don't_lie

http://blogs.parentcenter.babycenter.com/momformation/2008/06/24/mommys-losing-it-week-3-im-a-super-duper-hula-hooper/

Taking off baby weight (or any other weight for that matter) is not impossible. After I had my first child, I lost it all over the course of one summer, learning to Hoopdance. With my second child, I hooped throughout my pregnancy. It was pretty funny seeing me- a 9 month pregnant lady talk about how Hoopdance keeps you "fit" on TV. Looking back, maybe I shouldn't have been the one representing Hoopnotica during that time. I feel like people must have been watching and thinking, "That woman hoops all the time, and she looks like that? Uh... I'll pass...!"Looking back, I admire myself for having energy to deal with an on-air presentation,with swollen boobs and tired feet.  But maybe I should have left that one to Rayna! 

After I delivered my second child, I didn't really adopt a plan to lose the weight I'd gained. I felt like my hoop skills were at a level where I was an above-average hooper, with no real ambition to improve. I had a really bad attitude about my post-partum body.

My excuses included stories about genetics, metabolism....age- you know the drill. All the excuses I could muster. It wasn't until I got "kicked off" (see my last post), that I decided enough was enough. And here I am, running the show from behind the camera and staring at 4 sets of perfect abs. 

Attitude is everything. As soon as I begin to notice that I am making excuses, thinking negatively, or going over all of the reasons why something sucks, I abandon my mission. Whether my mission was as simple as climbing the stairs or as complex as writing a novel, my attitude alone is what determines my success.

Dieting is not an intellectual challenge: we all know that decreasing intake (food) and increasing output (exercise) will result in weight loss. We all know this, but our minds keep us busy with expert thoughts that prevent us from succeeding. I propose this: we keep ourselves from losing weigh because we are stubborn, and have bad attitudes. Circumstances are not to fault for "letting ourselves go"; our problems are all in our heads.

I watched Rayna trying to perfect a new move yesterday at Gold's Gym here in Tokyo, right before interviewing for MTV. She hit herself in the head, hoop went flying.... totally different from the graceful perfect hoopdancer that we all know and love. It was awesome to observe her attitude in the matter. Even though Jamie got the move down first, Rayna continued to laugh and play her way through this challenge until she got it right. 

If we perfect our mind's attitude, our bodies will follow. Hoopdance trains our minds and bodies at the same time, which is why it is such an effective weight loss tool.

So that is the story of my new mantra: My attitude determines my success!

Arigato!

HoopMamma